The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch

Law Enforcement Officer Shot in Pinal County

In this morning's news stories about the Pinal County deputy who was shot by drug smugglers, did you notice the location of the episode? it occurred in the same place as the 20-second drug-smuggling video we posted with "The Krentz Bonfire." The stories say the location was near the intersection of Interstate-8 and State Highway 84, which is the Table Top Wilderness. We know the cartels love wilderness because of the restrictions on law-enforcement access.

This event is especially chilling, and not only for the boldness in trying to kill a cop: The smugglers also shot at search helicopters. We're running out of words to describe the dangerous situation we have in AZ.

A related note: I got a call Thursday night from a source living near Portal, on the east slope of the Chiricahuas, telling me that someone heaved a rock through a window of his home at 11:30 pm. the night before. His dogs start howling, he jumps from bed, grabs his shotgun, and the game in on. The perp fled, his tracks going south, but the hard wind soon covered them over.

The same source tells me that at a citizens' meeting last week with Border Patrol, an agent stood and blurted out the truth: "The cartels control these mountains, and there's nothing we can do about it. We need help."